1. Field
The following description relates to high-speed magnetic resonance imaging methods and apparatuses, and more particularly, to high-speed magnetic resonance imaging methods and apparatuses that simultaneously obtain magnetic resonance images with different resolutions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) refers to a process of producing images from information that is obtained through resonance after an atomic nucleus is exposed to a magnetic field. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of the atomic nucleus applies to a phenomenon that when specific high-frequency energy enters an atomic nucleus magnetized by an external magnetic field, an atomic nucleus in a low energy state absorbs high-frequency energy and is excited to a high energy state. Such excited nuclei then re-emit the energy. By gathering and processing the re-mitted energy, it is possible to gather information about the atomic nuclei being scanned. Atomic nucleuses have different resonant frequencies depending on their types and resonance is affected by the intensity of the external magnetic field. There are numerous atomic nucleuses in a human body, and atoms possessing magnetic resonance properties include 1H, 23Na, 31P, 13C. For example, a hydrogen nucleus is used to produce the MRI information, because it is an isotope with an odd number of protons.
Certain MRI methods produce magnetic resonance images with different resolutions by obtaining the magnetic resonance images individually. For example, the MRI scanner may be designed to use different settings during different scan processes that cause each of the acquired scans to have different resolutions.